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When the Cold War ended, Russia did not become a pliant member of the Washington consensus. History tells us that no matter how many times Russia is attacked or invaded, Russia will never become subservient to an outside force. From Hollywood movies and media talking heads, to spy novels and video games – Russia is the ubiquitous adversary.

In a study done by Brandon Valeriano of Cardiff University, Russians are enemies in 21 percent of video games (12 games), one fewer instance than generic humans (13 games) and one more than aliens (11 games). That’s right, Russians are seen as more dangerous than aliens – let that sink in.

Even if you consider Latin Americans (6 games) and Middle Eastern terrorists (5 games) as a single combined category, the number of games with Russian enemies is still greater. The findings suggest that gamers often encounter Russians as the enemy. Long after the end of the Cold War, and despite real-world concerns over global terrorism and other security issues, Cold War-era enemies in video games could be shaping attitudes toward modern-day Russia.